Moving one last time!! (ha ha)

Thursday 13 December 2018

    We finished breakfast around 9am and I packed up and headed to Tioga county to clean out the storage unit. I was just rolling into Williamsport when I noticed thick fog ahead of me.  I slowed down but the fog turned out to be snow, like a white out snow.  It only lasted 15 minutes but the ground had a good half inch covering.  As I headed up Steam Valley the cinder trucks had already

Creative packing

been out and the road produced that fine mist of salt, slop and grit.  I picked up the u-haul in Mansfield and made it to the storage unit by 3pm.  In a light rain I packed the trailer, then the truck bed, then the cab and the last item tied on.  For a time a didn't think it would all fit but as the mud got deeper, the rain picked up and the temperature dropped, I got more creative and carefully packed(crammed) the last of it in.  Even with poor phone service I finally contacted Kate and Tony.  They picked me pick me up and we went to the VFW for wings.

Friday 14 December 2018

    Kate drove me back to the storage unit around 10am.  I swept out the storage unit, checked out at the office and was on the road by 11:30.  As I drove from Westfield thru Little Marsh/Middlebury Center I really felt like it would be the last time, kind of sad.  Again a steady mist/rain and fog made for a slow miserable drive back.  I arrived in

OK, now it's jammed in.

Dillsburg at 3:30.  Diane met me there and we called Mel and Pere for extra help.  It was after 6pm until we finished unpacking and the truck was still full of stuff.  I returned the trailer and we got back home by 7.  Fish sticks for dinner and a early night for us.

Saturday 15 December

    I unpacked the truck re-arranged the storage bins trying to find a home for all the stuff.  Didn't work.  We still had three large bins to take back to storage unit and a few boxes to drop at Shane's. The highlight of the day was lunch with Bev at TJ Rockwells.  The food was good, as always including the bowl of cream of crab soup I had.  We went to the storage unit to find room for the last of our items and we did.   I guess I'll get smarter as I get older..... but someone that is lactose intolerant should not eat creamy soup!  I'll just say in the middle of rearranging the storage unit I had to leave.  We finally fit everything in and made it home around 5pm.  Grilled cheese for dinner as my body recovers.

More time in Harrisburg

Tuesday 11 December 2018

     Today just flew by as we made phone calls, scheduled appointments, changed a few addresses, got propane(small tank) and did some running around.  We have 12 days before we hope to leave and already have six days scheduled full.  And just as all RVer's know when you are the busiest stuff goes wrong.  Today as Diane was getting out of the shower I noticed water leaking from around the shower door and across the floor.  We cleaned that up and I hope to take it apart tonight so it can dry and I'll caulk and reassemble tomorrow before we pick up the renal car at noon and go to dinner with Lynne and Rick.  Just as we were heading off to bed we ran out of water so I got the hose out, hooked it up, filled up tank, drained hose and put it away at 9:30 pm (in the dark).  Around 11:30pm Diane came in said we were out of propane(big tank).  I got up, dressed, went out changed tanks, back inside undressed and back to bed. Woke up at 4:30 cold!  I don't know what happened furnaces were not running and inside temp was 55.  I reset the furnaces (turned them off and back on) and everything was working good.  Back to bed for the rest of the night (morning).

Wednesday 12 December 2018

     What a nice day today sunny and 40 degrees.  I did get the shower door off yesterday so after

Rental Car

breakfast I went right to work on that.  First thing was finding my caulking and cleaning out the end of the tube......1 1/2 hours later went to hardware store for new.  We fixed the shower door including several attempts to reassemble the panels.  Next was a propane run, trash, 

laundromat, dump tanks, picked up rental car.  Diane headed off to the public shower(should have seen her face)we have to use the shower house until the caulking cures. I need to pack overnight bag to head up north tomorrow to clean out our storage unit.  Then back down and unload it on Friday.

Diane heading back from the shower house

The second week of Deer Camp

Monday December 10, 2018

     The end of deer season for 2018 no buck for us.  We headed to Tioga county for the second week of deer season on Monday the 3rd. Just as we were getting ready to leave I hooked up the 100lb tank of propane, turned it on and liquid propane began dripping from our new 10 ft. hose.  So.....down to the RV store trading my gas line for a new one.  Once again it only set us back a few hours but the anxiety level was screaming off the chart. We arrived  at our friends (Kate & Tony's) place around 5pm some 3 or 4 hours late.  We hunted for 5 days without seeing a buck.  It was unusually cold and windy.  Hunting was limited to a few hours at clip or walking slowly hoping to find one out feeding.  We had a good time anyway reminiscing,  VFW for wings and just enjoying time with old friends.  

Rudy's new perch!!

      We returned to the Moho Sunday around 4pm. and everything was good, put the slides out, turned the heat up and we were back in business.  Rudy quickly returned to his post of protecting the Moho.

Rudy going on Alert!!

We have a very busy schedule the two weeks ahead of us. Today we got a storage unit in Dillsburg,  went to the credit union,  grocery store, and made reservation for a U-haul to bring stuff down from up north.  We need to get the truck in for a recall,  the Moho to Maryland for towed vehicle brake line installation,  pick up a rental car for Diane and get some shopping done for Christmas.

      

We are still hoping  to be on the road heading south on December 24th.  We are doing well here but I don't care what the salesmen say, these units are not made for winter. Our furnace works good and we have the heat set a 70.  Our heads are warm but our feet are cooool.   Can't wait to have shorts and flip flops on.

A Weekend with the Great-grand kids

Friday 30 November 2018

     We were up and out of the Moho about 9:30.  We stopped at the office to get a 100lb. propane tank delivered, off to the CU to do some banking, then to Mel's to drop off our bikes, bike rack and a box or 2 of things we had for her, a quick stop at Morgan and Shane's to drop off the Adirondack Chairs he got, then back to the Moho to drop of Rudy.  We put Rudy in his kennel then headed over to  Gilligan's for a nice, relaxing lunch (very enjoyable).  OK enough relaxing, Brad dropped me of at the Moho to get Rudy and start packing, while he ran to Etnoyer's for a longer hose for the propane tank. He got back and we finished packing, loaded up the truck and headed over to Mel's, they plan on leaving around 5:00 PM.  We stopped for some wine and pretzels, got to Mel's about 4:00, unloaded and started the waiting game.  Pere didn't get  home until 6:00, so it was 6:30 until they got on the road, by then we had all the kids fed and it was time to watch a little TV, then get the kids off to bed about 8:00.  Brad and I lasted until about 10:00 but knew we had a long day tomorrow. 

Saturday 1 December 2018

     I was up a 6:30 and the kids all followed shortly thereafter.  Diane made cinnamon rolls for breakfast.  I choked down a few and headed out to take the truck in to get fixed.  Bev picked pick me

Glad the game room is

in the basement. 

up and brought me directly home.  Diane warned us not to stop anywhere for anything for any reason as she was tending to the four kids.  The truck was done around 3pm.  Bev pick me up again and we were back by 4pm. The weather was warm but rained all afternoon so we had to stay inside.  We had grilled cheese and soup for dinner.  And by 8 the kids were off to bed again.  Now they were pretty good other than the occasional  picking, fighting and arguing.  More fun to be had by one and all tomorrow.

Sunday 2 December 2018

     Hurrah,  having served our time we should be set free around 7pm.  Diane made pancakes and bacon for breakfast so good.  We were all a little more relaxed today even Rudy came out from under the table and laid on the sofa with Cianna.  It is warm today in the mid 50's but cloudy and everything is still wet from the rain yesterday.  Karter had a marshmallow sandwich for lunch. Diane folded the sandwich in half. Karter unfolded it the best he could and ate it from the center out.  Words will not do it justice but I will try.  He had white sticky marshmallow  all around his mouth with two small streaks going toward each ear, a little like the joker on batman.  After cleaning the kids up it was nap time and we started packing up the truck.  Bake ham, buttered noodles and green beans for supper as we wait very very patiently for the parents to return. 

Week Two

Sunday 25 November 2018

     Temps are in the 30's.  we headed to storage unit to pick up hunting gear, then over to Norman's property to do a little scouting.  Drove into Wellsboro to purchase some supplies(cheese and bologna) for opening day, then back to the Moho to sort clothes and make final arrangements for tomorrow.  We are planning to go out even though they are calling for rain.

Monday 26 November 2018

      3:30 woke up cold we were out of propane!  I got up dressed and went out to change propane tanks and back in.  Now it is 3:45 alarm was set for 4:30 so I just stayed up.  The good news no rain.  Diane decided to sleep in and I got ready to head out.  Arrived at Norman's at six and the rain started and seven.  I last until 8:30 but the steady cold rain did me in.  I headed home and Diane and Rudy were actually up.  I got changed and warmed up, had something to eat the headed over to check on the Ochenrider crew.  We pulled in just as Andy (Glen's step-son) was tracking Tony's buck, a nice 8 point.  They gathered that up and headed to the house to hang it up.  A few minutes after it was hung, Glen and Andy headed back out, rain, wind and cold wasn't keeping them in.  We left shortly after they headed out, went home and got a text  about 6:30 that Glen got a nice 6 point.  Andy had shot at it, missed and it went right up to where Glen as sitting.  Off to bed as Brad is going hunting in the Morning and I am heading to the Ochenriders with him (at 5:30 AM.....ugh)  

Tuesday 27 November 2018

     I dropped Brad off at Norman's hill about 6:15 then headed over to the Ochenrider house.  Tony and Glen were up and Andy was out hunting.  It was very cold and windy, so about 8:00 I headed back down to check on Brad.  He lucked out, where he was sitting he was pretty well protected from the wind, so he stayed out and I was to head back down about 9:30 to pick him up.  We both headed back to the Och camp and as Kate was working on breakfast, about 6-8 doe were heading down through the back gutter.  Andy was out front, but as he headed in he had seen them and was scoping them out as we looked out.  He turned after that only to see 4 more doe cross the food plot, so he pulled up a chair and hung out on the front porch until he was called in for breakfast.  After that it was packing for Glen and Andy, loading up the truck and then backing to the meat pole to load up the buck.  Glen got them loaded and tied down, good-byes were said, and as he tried to pull out, he sank in the soft ground....stuck.  Brad got his truck to pull him out, took 2 different chains, Kate to move

Our First Full-timing Camp Site

her car and about 30 min, but they got him out and he headed home.  Brad headed out for the evening hunt, I helped Kate get some laundry done, no luck for Brad, so we headed home when he got in.  Hung up the hunting stuff to dry and tomorrow.

Wednesday 28 November 2018

     No more hunting this week. We left around 9am over to rent a trailer and return all the hunting stuff to the storage unit.  Back to Don and Bonnie's to loaded up the four wheeler and Walker mower for delivery to Coudersport.  It was cold and wind blew across that hill top like crazy.  The trailer was a piece of crap, and I had to shovel snow off of it,  tie down hooks were bent, ramp was busted up and the lights didn't work.  But after an hour we were on our way.  Over to Coudersport and back with a lunch stop, post office stop, wine stop and gas stop. Returned the trailer and made to the camper around 4pm. and yes we had Rudy with us.  We started packing for our trip to Harrisburg tomorrow.

Thursday 29 November 2018

      Despite packing some last night we still did not get moving until 11am.  It was cold and windy with a few passing snow flurries.  I don't know why but the 3 hour drive took 5 hours.  We arrived at the campground after 4pm. Filled up propane tanks the first site was to uneven so we moved and ended up setting up after dark. Diane drove the truck and each time she hit the brakes or used the turn signals the dashboard would flash and ding oil change required/ trailer wire failure. Needless to say happy hour was late but very much enjoyed.

Day 2

November 18 2018

     Well day 2 is over and we are slowly getting things organized.  Today was a trip to the storage unit some went in and some came out.  Then over to the old McCurdy camp to visit with the bear hunters, brother Lorin, his son Ben, and grandson Logan.  Wish I could have hunted with them but just to much stuff to get done.   Then over to visit Kate and Tony did a little snow plowing for them and the big reason was to shower.  Seems Diane is having trouble surviving without showering.(go figure)  Now we are back in the camper and it is already feeling like home.  We are having a problem getting the satellite hooked up right but we will figure it out, I'm sure.  We joined a couple Facebook groups and it is amazing how many people are out there full timing and helping solve our problems.

     I think I did mention that you should never start full timing in the winter.  We have already burned through a 30# tank of propane and the really cold stuff gets here on Thanksgiving.  Tomorrow is another crazy busy day of running. 

END OF THE FIRST WEEK.  November 24 2018

     A week has passed just like that and are having nothing but FUN.   Monday and Tuesday was

Road to Kate and Tony's

more of the same over to storage unit every day, over to visit/help Kate and Tony get ready for their thanksgiving trip and access to long showers and a free laundromat .  Temps have been near 40 each day and just mud, mud, and more mud with a little snow mixed in.  Tuesday Diane had DR's appt. and I cleaned ice off of the slide out toppers so we could bring them in as temps are to drop to single digits.  Wednesday temps still is upper 30's we brought in two slides to help with heat. The 110 outlet quit working on the pedestal so I had to string 150 feet of extension cords borrowing some from the campground.  Woke up middle of the night COLD.  I checked heat the rear furnace was not working. Outside temp is 8 degrees and it is Thanksgiving day and hot water is froze...... what more could you ask for.  Cold worked so Diane heated water on the stove so we could wash up.  I went over to office they gave me a number of a local guy called he has no parts.  Called all the emergency numbers I could find.....no one works on Moho's.    One furnace working one electric heater working and we 

Thanksgiving Dinner Crew

headed off to Thanksgiving with the family.  Got up Friday temp 5 degrees all water is froze.  Called the nearest RV dealer he is not open.  Called one in Williamsport 100 miles away they were open and had tech's working until five.  We packed in like a hour....just throw and stow.   I pulled in just before noon.  They had it fixed (new circuit card) in two hours. I was back at campground by 3:30 and everything hooked up, tanks dumped even tv hooked up when Diane returned from Kate and Tony's.   Fired up the furnaces and electric heaters and slowly all the water pipes thawed with no leaks.  One good thing,  you can go a long time on a tank of water when the pipes are froze.

Looking forward to better time this coming week.

Starting our new adventure

Saturday November 17 2018,

      A lot has happened since March.  After talking it over we listed the farm for sale on 15th of August and continued making plans for our trip south this winter.  Well the place sold in two days with settlement by 16th November.  So here we are day 1 of full-timing again with no house and all of our belongings in our new to us 2015 Meridian 40R.

                                                                                                     

Our Little Stow Away
 doesn't like the snow!!

      

We are currently staying at a RV parking area with electric and sewer, in Middlebury Center, Pa.  We have to clean out our temporary storage unit, tie up sum loose ends after the auction and visit a couple friends.  We hope to be out of here and heading south in early December.  It snowed 10 inches or more yesterday and temps are holding in low 30's.  I don't care what the manufactures say these things are not made for winter camping. Diane has been trying to get the Moho organized as we just carried things out of the house and stashed it anywhere it fit.

       

We thought selling the farm and auctioning off our belongs would be very difficult but it wasn't all that bad.  It has actually been a big relief to get it all over with.  Today is the first day and it feels good to start this chapter of our life.  First thing this morning was a trip to donation center,  recycle center and the disposal station to clean out the last load from the house.  The truck looked like Beverly Hillbilly's.... back loaded up to the cab.....inside packed full including the console....poor Rudy couldn't even look out.

       

To our friends, family, and followers from before, welcome back.  We are looking forward to seeing many of you as we travel around the country.

        

I will try to post often the first few days to let you how it is going.  And a little advise to anyone going full-timing,  never, never ever start in November.

Brad